The present invention relates to a transfer port apparatus and method of transferring objects through a transfer conduit from a canister into an isolation chamber. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for establishing airtight sealed connections in a transfer conduit provided in a transfer port apparatus.
In industries which require working in a space, isolated from the external atmosphere, i.e., a sealed confinement enclosure, it is customary to operate the input and the output of the different products and apparatus by means of containers connected to the enclosure with a double-door, sealed transfer device. The industries concerned with this technology are, in particular, the pharmaceutical, medical, food-stuffs and nuclear industries etc.
It is known to provide isolation chambers or xe2x80x9cclean roomsxe2x80x9d to provide an aseptic or sterile environment for various purposes. In clean rooms, elaborate precautions are taken to reduce dust particles and other contaminants in the air. The pharmaceutical industry uses the sterile environment provided by the isolating chambers for conducting experiments and tests and for manufacturing drugs. The electronics industry uses clean rooms to manufacture various type of electrical components. Because the clean room must be kept aseptic or sterile in order for the experiments and the testing or manufacturing procedures to be effective, it is desirable to reduce the likelihood that contaminants will be transferred into the isolation chamber. Therefore, problems arise when items must be transferred from a non-sterile environment outside the isolation chamber into the isolation chamber.
A transfer port apparatus and method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,400 to Szatmary, which disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference herein. See also the disclosure in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,494,586; 4,747,601; 5,263,521; 5,588,473; 5,700,043; 5,226,781; and 4,897,963, which disclosures are also hereby incorporated by reference herein.
In accordance with the present invention, a transfer port apparatus is provided to enable material to be transferred from an isolation chamber in an isolator to a canister chamber in a mobile canister. The transfer port apparatus includes a canister portion formed to include a canister passageway and adapted to be coupled to the canister to place the canister passageway in communication with the canister chamber formed in the canister, and an isolator portion formed to include an isolator passageway and adapted to be coupled to the isolator to place the isolator passageway in communication with the isolation chamber formed in the isolator.
A latch is arranged to couple the canister portion to the isolator portion to place the canister passageway in communication with the isolator passageway to establish a transfer conduit through the canister and isolator portions to enable material to be transferred between the canister chamber and the isolation chamber through the transfer conduit. A removable conduit closure is arranged to lie in and occlude the transfer conduit. The canister portion includes a seal support and an expansible seal member mounted on the seal support and arranged to move relative to the seal support from a contracted position to an expanded position to establish a substantially airtight sealing engagement with the removable conduit closure.
In preferred embodiments, wherein the expansible seal member includes an inner ring configured to mate with and seal against the removable conduit closure upon insertion of the removable conduit closure into the canister passageway formed in the canister portion. The transfer port apparatus further includes a pneumatic system for passing a pressurized fluid through an air conduit formed in the seal support to a fluid-receiving space provided between the seal support and the inner ring to move the inner ring away from the seal support to the expanded position against the removable conduit closure.
The removable conduit closure includes a canister door sized to close the canister passageway and the inner ring is positioned to engage an outer surface of the canister door upon movement of the expansible seal member to the expanded position to establish a substantially airtight seal therebetween. The removable conduit closure further includes an isolator door sized to close the isolator passageway and arranged to lie adjacent to the canister door when the canister portion is coupled to the isolator portion.
The transfer port apparatus further includes a valve and conduit system for retaining the pressurized fluid in the fluid-receiving space to maintain the inner ring in the expanded position engaging the outer surface of the canister door upon decoupling of the canister portion and isolator portion while the canister door is positioned to close the canister passageway and the isolator door is positioned to close the isolator passageway. A valve is coupled to the air conduit formed in the seal support and configured to move between an opened position allowing flow of pressurized fluid into the air conduit to reach the inner ring and a closed position retaining pressurized fluid in the air conduit to maintain the inner ring in the expanded position. This system enables a user to inflate the canister seal and retain that seal in an inflated state even though the canister is uncoupled from the isolator and the pressurized fluid onboard the isolator is no longer communicated to the canister seal.
A vacuum system is provided for removing the pressurized fluid from the fluid-receiving space and applying a suction force to the inner ring in the fluid-receiving space to move the inner ring from the expanded position to the contracted position to disestablish the substantially airtight sealing engagement with the removable conduit closure. The vacuum system includes a vacuum generator and a pressure selector coupled to the vacuum generator, the pressurized fluid source, and the air conduit and configured to move between a seal-establishing position coupling only the pressurized fluid source to the air conduit and a seal-disestablishing position coupling only the vacuum generator to the air conduit.
A distribution conduit is coupled to the pressurized fluid source and a connector coupled to the distribution conduit and configured to be coupled to the air conduit upon coupling of the canister portion to the isolator portion to enable pressurized fluid to pass from the pressurized fluid source into the air conduit through the distribution conduit and the connector. The isolator portion is formed to include a portion of the distribution conduit therein.
Additional features and advantage of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of prepared embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.